AUBURN, Alabama -- Remember when the Wildcat formation was the big thing in college football?

Auburn coaches remember when they used Cameron Artis-Payne in the formation early last season, well before quarterback Nick Marshall and Tre Mason mastered the zone-read option to lead the nation's top rushing offense.

The Tigers, however, don't seem to be so keen on the idea on jumping back into the tailback-at-quarterback set in the near future. The Tigers have not utilized the formation in spring drills, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said Thursday.

"We’re always going to have a Wildcat element in our offense," he said. "That’s just part of what we do. Some years it’s more, some years it’s less."

Artis-Payne rushed for 27 yards in the "WildCAP" formation in the season opener against Washington State last season, but the Tigers cut back on the formation in subsequent weeks. Kiehl Frazier carried the ball two times as a Wildcat option in Week 4 against LSU, but the formation was abandoned for the remainder of the season as the Tigers settled into a re-tooled running attack led by Mason and Marshall.

The Wildcat formation is not dead yet.

"Knowing our guys better now, knowing Nick and some of our others guys better now, too, -- some of the young guys coming in -- that gives us more options," Lashlee said. "We’ll probably have to wait until the fall to see how much we use it, but it always remains a possibility."